Tesco Deli Counters - Rude and Unhelpful

KathrynPenguin

:mad: I have today made a purchase at the deli counter in a big Tesco and found them most rude and unhelpful. This is the second time I have used one of their deli counters in recent months and the second time I have recieved such poor service - at 2 different branches.

First time I wanted some goats cheese and it was a new "log". The woman went to cut it from the end which is a big lump of the rindy skin which I would just throw away. I asked could she please cut it from the middle and she did so but grumbled "we have to sell the whole log, somebody will have to buy the end". Not really true, they sell so little of it in that branch that they probably throw half the log away, once cut it deteriorates.

Today I wanted a stonkingly strong piece of cheddar, just a small piece and as strong as possible - you know the stuff that makes your eyes water! I went to the deli counter for help and advice. When I got there I said "I'd like a really strong piece of cheddar - the sort that bites back" the woman said "aren't there any ready cut bits?" I said I only want a small piece and would like to know which to buy. She offered me one and said "this should do" (funny way of putting it!) and then went to cut it, as she did so I could see the end was all hard - you know like the bits you cut off and throw away! So I pointed this out and she just gave me a filthy look and picked up a new block from which she grudgingly cut a small chunk. Just eaten it and it wasn't anywhere near as strong as I wanted.:mad:

Tomorow I'm going to Waitrose where they will smile, treat me with respect, offer advice and cut a chunk off of every single block in the counter to find the one that I'm after. There staff are often quite young (17/18) but always treat me like I'm a valued customer. Tesco can keep their rude staff and weak cheese!

Astaroth

Here comes the snob in me... to some degree you get what you pay for... Tesco isnt aimed at the disconserting customer but one that is heavily budget concious where as Waitrose is aimed at those that know what they want and are willing to pay a bit extra to get exactly that.

Service should always be with a smile but customers have to have their expectations correct too.

KathrynPenguin

Thats really what I expect service with a smile and just a little specialist knowledge after all they are working the counter, not in the aisle where they may have just been switched to. I thought counter staff had training for hygene and stuff.

Astaroth

Hygene does not come into selling a piece of cheese which is 50% rind though... that comes into good service and having prices that can take the hit of wastage to be honest.

Havent actually worked in a supermarket store (think it is one of the few jobs I havent had in my time) but certainly the people I know that have havent received any additional product training at all but simply further hygien and H&S.... most supermarkets dont even have a butcher on the meat counter... saying that waitrose is guilty of this too but the difference, as you said, is that they admit the limits of their knowledge and have no issue giving free samples.

SaraSeahorse

Astaroth wrote:

Tesco isnt aimed at the disconserting customer

did you mean another word discerning
Main Entry: discerning
Part of Speech: adjective
Definition: discriminating
Synonyms: acute, astute, bright, brilliant, clear-sighted, clever, critical, gnostic, ingenious, insighted, insightful, intelligent, judicious, knowing, knowledgeable, penetrating, perceptive, percipient, perspicacious, sagacious, sage, sensitive, sharp, shrewd, subtle, wise



disconcerting.
Main Entry: disquieting
Part of Speech: adjective
Definition: upsetting
Synonyms: annoying, bothersome, disconcerting, distressing, disturbing, irritating, perturbing, troublesome, troubling, unnerving, unsettling, worrying

deanos

Didnt they let you sample the cheese i know Sainsbuys let you try cheese & meats before you buy

zappomatic

Thing is, unless you want ordinary, standard cheddar, Tesco isn't any cheaper than Waitrose. I've actually found that the less mainstream/more upmarket stuff is cheaper in Waitrose than it is in Tesco. Even with pre-packed cheddar, unless you're buying Tesco Value it's the same price.

Saucepot

I went into my local tesco and a guy was restocking the fruit cordials. I casually asked if there were any bigger size Vimto's and he really went out of his way to find me one. Looking through the restocking trolly, going 'out t'back as he put it, and I was amazed. Really pleased. The big bottles work out about only 10p cheaper than 2 smaller ones but he really went out of his way to help.

I found the same at Morrisons. They had some garden furniture my Mum wanted, but only part of the set was on the shelves. A petite girl not only got me the other bits but pushed my trolly to the checkout, pushed my trolly to the car and helped me load it up ! Being a big fella I was a bit embarrassed and tryed to push it myself but she wasn't having any of it. "I'm stronger than I look, Sir" she said. She even called me Sir ! Blimey.

I guess it goes to show. It's all pot luck. Some people are more suited to customer service than others and people have good days and bad days. You've got to hope the management are clever enough to recognise the good staff and they are rewarded, promoted and retained.

Astaroth

zappomatic wrote:

Thing is, unless you want ordinary, standard cheddar, Tesco isn't any cheaper than Waitrose. I've actually found that the less mainstream/more upmarket stuff is cheaper in Waitrose than it is in Tesco. Even with pre-packed cheddar, unless you're buying Tesco Value it's the same price.

There would certainly be an agruement that Waitrose sells more of the upmarket stuff per store compared to Tescos and I am sure that there is only so much you can drive down the price for 50 year old balsamic vinigar when they only make 2 barrels a year.

Personally it is only the prepacked stuff that I can do a like for like comparison and would say Tesco is cheaper - though Waitrose has come down in price recently (or at least the pre pack meat). For more the deli or fresh/ upmarket items I tend to buy what takes my fancy so no idea of its name to do a price comparison.

Astaroth

Saucepot wrote:

You've got to hope the management are clever enough to recognise the good staff and they are rewarded, promoted and retained.

This is the old catch 22 though... "management" require a different skill set to customer service advisors. A person could be an exceptional floor staff (like the guy in your story) but that does not mean that they will make a good team leader/ department manager etc.

Plus if you do promote them the shop floor loses their customer service excellence as they will then spend 1/2 their time or more dealing with holidays/ discipline/ shift rotas/ stats reviews etc.

You can realistically only reward them so much for being good at being an advisor... it wouldnt create a good work atmosphere if the highest paid person in a store wasnt the store manager, deputy manager, head of section, head of department, team leader but was actually a shelf stacker.

Dead_Eye_Jones

I think its a lot down to the individual you ask, some people just enjoy halping others and going out of their way for you, some of us get a lot of satisfaction from doing a job well and going that extra mile. You can always tell the people who are genuinly happy to help and are not just doing so because management is watching!

I always like the idea that if a jobs worth doing its worth doing properly, and on the whole I find most of us do put the effort in, and why not.